Historical Research Between Yi Yin And Xia Shang

Yi Yin was an important politician in the history of Shang Dynasty and played a key role in the change of the Xia and Shang Dynasties.Since time immemorial,their understanding about Yi Yin has been ambiguous in the history books of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period and in the books of various scholars.Except the identical records of their names,birthplaces,and general deeds,these documents are more complex and difficult to discern.We often talk about Zhou Gong and believe that Zhou Gong ever make the system of rites and music and was one of the sources of Confucian culture.It was called "the cultivation of Zhou-Kong".Yi Yin's status in the early Shang Dynasty could even surpass Zhou Gong,but his personal life and image were not as good as Zhou Gong's and there are too many problems about him remain unresolved.Fortunately,there are richer handed down documents and more and more unearthed materials for us to explore Yi Yin's life,and his historical trails have a lot to do for us to study the struggles,alliances,and the development of the situation between Xia,Shang and the East Yi.This article is mainly composed of three chapters:The first chapter is about some relevant handed down documents and unearthed written materials.It will simply divide the handed down documents into historical materials and the scholars,and then have a brief summarize and analyze about it.Unearthed literature can be divided into three categories:Oracle inscriptions,bronze inscriptions and silk texts.Among them,the Oracle inscription is a material of the Shang Dynasty and it plays an important role in the study of Yi Yin's image in the minds of people of Shang Dynasty.It can be regarded as first-hand information.The inscription on the bronze only can be seen in the chime of Shu Yi.The valuable related information about the silk texts was mainly concentrated in the silk texts excavated from the Han Dynasty Tombs at Mawangdui,and the Han Dynasty Tombs at Yinqueshan,as well as the bamboo slips of the Warring States Period purchased and preserved by the Shanghai Museum and Tsinghua University.The second chapter mainly discusses some basic information of Yi Yin,including his name,ethnic origin,birthplace,identity,etc.And it demonstrates his identity and status' role in seizing power between the Xia and Shang forces.The tribe led by Yi Yin was a branch of the East Yi and lived in the area of Cao County in Shandong Province,that is the area of ancient Si River.His surname is not testable,last name originated from Si River,and his name is Zhi(?)or Heng(?).The Bo(?)of Shang Tribe was in the area of Neihuang.As Shang Tang went south,through the contacts between the two sides and the struggle between them and the Xia forces,the trade-offs between the Dongyi and the merchants in terms of ethnic origin,interests,and belief culture were weighed.Yi Yin,as a representative of some tribes of Yi and the East Yi,joined and married with the Shang Tribe to form alliances and helped Tang to establish their power.In the Xia Dynasty,he was the chief patriarch of the tribes of Yi and religious leader.At the beginning of Shang Dynasty,he was the outstanding assistant of Tang.He was also a great wizard who communicated with Heaven.He might have served as a minister.The last chapter mainly demonstrates Yi Yin's role in the process of the replacement of Xia-Shang dynasties and discusses in detail about the status,role,death,and the relationship with Tai Jia in the Shang royal family after entering the time of Shang.At the time when Xia and Shang were confronted,Yi Yin served as the leader of the East Yi surrendered to the Xia forces and went to see the Xia Dynasty.After following Shang Tang,he also traveled to the capital of Xia as a Shang's ambassador,or came into contact with Mo Xi who was a queens of Xia Jie,and got the information that Xia Jie was hard to be accepted by his people,which seemd as a espionage at that time.After entering the time of Shang,because it was a hero,an uncle,and a religious leader,it has a high status in the Shang royal court.Yi Yin,who ranked in the Shang's tribute,belongs to the Ding clan.He could either be sacrificed alone or together with the dead king.He has the power of natural and human affairs.The Yi clan is the second most prominent royal family in the political life of Shang,and has served in the royal family office for generations.Laterly,his descendants have appeared in the literature and Oracle inscriptions,or they were still active in politics at the time of the Zhou.After Yin Yin's death,Yi Yin exiled Tai Jia who did not respect Tang's law,and later advocated him again.The so-called "Tai Jia killed Yi-Yin" incident in the later generations was based on Yi Yin's limited folklore and the construction of an ancient history that was influenced by the special loafers'mood and the political influence of sages in the Warring States Period.It was not in line with historical reality,but for the study of the history of the Spring and Autumn Warring States,it is still has a certain significance.